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Not A Mite Would I Withhold

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in endless praise, let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King. Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee, filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold. Take my intellect and use every power as thou shalt choose, every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne, it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee, ever, only, all for thee.

Words by Frances R. Havergal, 1874
Music by Henri A. C. Malan, 1827

I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 11:44

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
Luke 18:18 – 23

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:41 – 44

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Romans 12:1

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17

When I was young I was a member of the the 4-H organization. Now for those who are unfamiliar with 4-H, it is largest youth development organization in the United state, with focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering, and technology programs.

We would have regular meeting which always began with formal opening ceremonies. One of the items that was part of these ceremonies was reciting the 4-H pledge. It goes:

As 4-Hers seek to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth, they pledge the 4-Hes (Head, Heart, Hands, Health) to that Goal. It is basically an abbreviated way of saying they are going to “give it their all.” In a similar way, Francez Havergal in her hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be” lays out an “all in” commitment to following Christ.

The hymn begins by saying, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.” To be consecrated is to be set aside and dedicated for a sacred purpose. The call in the hymn is to set aside our very lives as dedicated to God’s purpose. This should draw our minds to Leviticus 11:40 where we read ,”I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.”

So Havergal begins to list piece by piece our commitment to following Christ. But it is not just our commitment to give these things to serve Christ, but our prayer that He will make use of them.

As we sing through this hymn, the line that stick with me is “Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.” This is not because it is a financial commitment, the fact is that the others are commitments of my very body and being which are for more profound and desired by God. (Micah 6) What strikes me is the phrase, “Not a mite would I withhold.” We are to be all in.

I am drawn to the images of two of Jesus encounters. In Luke 18:18 – 23 Jesus speaks with a rich man who was unable to give up all he had to follow and instead walks away. In Mark 12:41 – 44 Jesus observes a poor woman put two coins in the offering and tells His disciples that she had given more than anyone else, because she gave all she had.

We are called to give everything, our money, our body and our minds to serving Christ, but it is not something to be taken lightly. We are to be consecrated, set aside, dedicated. So when we realize the magnitude of the prayer of consecration we can join with others and say, “Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee.”